By this point, you’re probably hearing everywhere about the internet debate regarding the differences on wedding photography styles! Understanding styles in wedding photography (and art in general) is like understanding a restaurant’s cuisine. You wouldn’t walk into a fish and chips place looking for a 5 course fine dining meal. Photography is an art, and each artist approaches their craft differently. While there are catch-all names for styles (just like there are for dining types), some artists even blend styles for their own unique look.
This blog is for you if you’re confused about wedding photography styles and are looking to learn more about the best fit for you!
Editorial Style Wedding Photography
Posed, Polished and Produced
Editorial wedding photography is ideal for the couple looking for polished, schedule-based and magazine-style photo outcomes. Often to capture this style, elements such as poses, backdrops, lighting and events need to be curated to match and create the artful feeling and compositions this style celebrates. Carefully orchestrated moments allow for picture perfect captures to be created and captured. This means the overall feeling of the wedding day can swing more towards a photoshoot with the goal being to showcase you in the best light ALWAYS.
Documentary Style
Raw, Real and Reminiscent
In contrast, documentary-style is about as far opposite to editorial as you can get! This often gets labeled as “wedding photojournalism”. It aims to have the photographer blend into the background and document real interactions, the natural flow of events and unplanned moments. True documentary photographers are more intent on capturing the authentic feeling and narrative of the day. If you’re drawn to authentic, unscripted and emotional feeling wedding photography, this might be the perfect fit for you. Ideal for couples who don’t want their day to feel like a scheduled photoshoot and hope their wedding album feels like a collection of little authentic moments from their day. With true documentary style it is important to note that the photographer will not get involved in staging any photo moments. They will let things flow naturally and will take an observatory approach.
The Perfect Blend: Story-telling Style
the moments you don’t want to miss with the emotions you don’t need to orchestrate
Now, you might be reading this thinking to yourself “ well I don’t want our day to be ruled by a photoshoot…but I also don’t want to miss out on some posed photo ops I’ve saved off of Pinterest”!
What if there was a blend of styles, a candid, yet guided approach
Introducing, storytelling style.
I call myself a storytelling photographer because I think the perfect wedding photography focuses on the emotions and feelings of your day and blends the moments you want ‘for sure’ captured with the way things naturally unfold. My style allows me to take the best elements of both styles. My magic is being able to combine them to capture highly polished but natural photos of you and your guests! From the tearful and heartfelt hugs, the shocked joy of a first look, the giddy laugh as you walk back up the aisle as newlyweds to the ‘girls getting ready’ shoots, the under the veil shots and the dance floor “I’m done planning!” euphoria – it’s all captured!
Hear what my happy couples have to say about my style:
“Clarissa is phenomenal at capturing the best genuine moments and really has a talent for making you feel the emotions through the photos. We’re so in love with the photos we received and we’re so lucky to have had Clarissa take these amazing heartfelt photos”
“Our guests often remarked that they were amazed with the things she captured during the day because they didn’t even know she was there, yet she managed to get it all!”
